Mayaa SH Joins The Global Leaders On World AIDS Day …

Mayaa SH |”END INEQUALITIES. END AIDS. END PANDEMICS…”

Mayaa SH is a literary figure recognized for her advocacy for women’s empowerment and positive feminism. Her work includes challenging societal norms, addressing gender inequality, and speaking out against gender-based violence .Mayaa SH, a literary luminary hailing from Oxford of the East – Pune, is a steadfast advocate for women’s empowerment and positive feminism. She has amassed accolades from the United Nations and received national recognition for her pathbreaking literary works which challenge societal norms, address gender inequality, and gender-based violence. Renowned under various aliases, Mayaa SH’s impactful contributions extend across over co-authoring two hundred and fifty  anthologies books and over fourteen solo books, resonating globally. An advocate for legal literacy and equal opportunities, Mayaa SH envisions a society where women have equal rights and contribute significantly to the nation’s development.

World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1st, serves as a global initiative to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic, mourn those who have died, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services . The overarching message has centered on ending inequalities to end AIDS and prevent future pandemics .This focus highlights the critical understanding that social, economic, cultural, and legal disparities are significant drivers of the HIV epidemic and hinder progress towards its eradication .World AIDS Day 2025, observed on December 1, 2025, is commemorated under the theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response”. This year’s observance highlights the critical challenges facing the global HIV response, primarily due to a historic funding crisis and its far-reaching consequences .

The “Equalize” slogan, has also been a direct call to action to address these inequalities . UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, has consistently urged global leaders and communities to tackle the systemic issues that perpetuate the pandemic .

Key areas identified for action include:

(1)Increasing the availability, quality, and suitability of HIV treatment, testing, and prevention services to ensure equitable access for everyone .

(2)Reforming laws, policies, and practices to combat the stigma and exclusion faced by people living with HIV and marginalized populations, fostering respect and inclusivity .

(3)Ensuring the sharing of technology to facilitate equal access to the latest HIV science, bridging gaps between communities and between the Global South and North.

(4)Despite significant advancements in HIV prevention and treatment, progress has faltered in recent years, partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises .

(5)Resources have shrunk, and millions of lives remain at risk. The world is currently off track to meet the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a global health threat .

Inequalities manifest in various ways, such as young women in Africa being disproportionately affected by HIV, with inadequate coverage of dedicated prevention programs . Key populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who use drugs, sex workers, and prisoners, face substantial legal barriers, criminalization, discrimination, and stigma, limiting their access to prevention services.

After decades of progress, the HIV response stands at a crossroads. Life-saving services are being disrupted, and many communities face heightened risks and vulnerabilities. Yet amid these challenges, hope endures in the determination, resilience, and innovation of communities who strive to end AIDS.

Ending AIDS means addressing the inequalities that drive the epidemic. Children and adolescent girls and young women face heightened vulnerabilities, particularly across the Africa region. And key populations including men who have sex with men, trans and gender diverse people, people who use drugs, sex workers and people in prisons in all regions face increased HIV risk.Protecting rights and ensuring access to services for everyone is essential to stopping new infections and achieving health equity.

The HIV response is shifting, offering a vital opportunity to reset. By:

(1)Simplifying and prioritizing access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment;

strengthening management of drug resistance and advanced HIV disease; and integrating these services within a primary health care approach that includes strong community-based services.

(2) Countries can reach more people in need with holistic services, sustaining gains, and building resilient health systems that serve everyone, everywhere.

Ending the AIDS epidemic hinges on addressing the profound inequalities that fuel its spread, particularly among vulnerable populations and key populations globally . These disparities manifest in various forms, including limited access to prevention, testing, treatment, and care services, as well as societal stigma and discrimination .

Children and adolescent girls and young women, especially across the Africa region, face significantly heightened vulnerabilities to HIV infection. This is often due to a complex interplay of factors such as gender-based violence, economic dependence, lack of education, and limited access to reproductive health services . Furthermore, key populations, including transgender and gender diverse people, people who use drugs, sex workers, and people in prisons, experience increased HIV risk in all regions . These groups frequently encounter legal and social barriers that prevent them from accessing essential health services, and they are disproportionately affected by criminalization, discrimination, and violence .Protecting the rights of all individuals and ensuring equitable access to comprehensive HIV services are paramount to stopping new infections and achieving health equity.This includes implementing rights-based approaches to health, eliminating discriminatory laws and policies, and investing in community-led responses that reach those most marginalized .

The fight against HIV has never been easy, yet resilience and innovation continue to define the response.As global funding falters, advances like long-acting lenacapavir – a six-monthly injection to prevent HIV, remind us that progress continues. With commitment and creativity, we can ensure that lifesaving long acting antiretrovirals for prevention and treatment reach those in most need.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), WHO, and The Global Fund  co-hosted a joint commemoration event at UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland .This event, featured high-level panel discussions on understanding the global context, examining the lived realities of disruptions, and identifying pathways forward through resilience, community leadership, and innovation . The event was livestreamed globally and followed by a commemorative walk organized by the Group of people living with HIV in Geneva (PVA Genève) .

The central message of World AIDS Day 2025 is an urgent call for global solidarity, sustained political leadership, international cooperation, and human-rights-centered approaches to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 . A new UNAIDS report, also titled “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” released on November 25, 2025, details how international funding reductions and a lack of global solidarity have severely impacted low- and middle-income countries . External health assistance is projected to drop by 30–40% in 2025 compared to 2023, leading to significant disruptions in HIV prevention and community-led services.

The global community is urged to reaffirm global solidarity, maintain funding for the response, invest in innovation, and uphold human rights to empower communities . The US has released its new America First Global Health Strategy and is establishing bilateral agreements to continue funding, while The Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment conference generated pledges of USD $11.34 billion . As of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV worldwide, with 1.3 million new infections, and 9.2 million people still not accessing treatment.

About The Author

Mayaa SH is best known for her efforts to fight for women empowerment and promote transparency in the system for equitable distribution of resources .A developmental feminist and authoress, Mayaa SH has embraced feminism in the course of her journey across her vivid interactions with the women.Mayaa SH is a global humanitarian, a feminist, a literary Luminary in contemporary literature and a women empowerment culturist. She has spearheaded massive campaigns on “Say No To Character Assassination”, “Body shaming” etc.Mayaa SH is a prominent figure in the field of family law and women’s rights advocacy in India. She is recognized as a social and legal activist, focusing on issues related to matrimonial law, mental health, and women’s empowerment. Her work emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexities of matrimonial conflicts and the need for reforms within the legal framework governing personal relationships. Mayaa SH has advocated for a comprehensive understanding of family laws that encompass marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance, and property rights. She highlights the necessity for legal systems to evolve in response to societal changes and challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society. Her insights stress that many issues within matrimonial law stem from deep-rooted biases and misunderstandings about gender roles. One significant aspect of her advocacy is the call for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration. She argues that these methods can help reduce prolonged litigation in family disputes, allowing parties to reach consensual agreements rather than relying solely on judicial decisions. This approach aims to preserve dignity and mental well-being during contentious proceedings. Focus on Women’s Rights has been Mayaa’s prime focus through her remedial reliefs provided to all .Mayaa SH has been vocal about the need for legal reforms that protect women’s rights within marriage. She points out historical amendments to laws, such as those addressing cruelty and desertion as grounds for divorce, which reflect ongoing struggles against patriarchal norms. Her advocacy includes pushing for the criminalization of marital rape, emphasizing moral and legal arguments to support this change.Furthermore, she has emphasised on the psychological aspects involved in family law cases, advocating for an empathetic approach that considers the mental health of all parties involved. By promoting awareness around these issues, she seeks to foster a more equitable legal environment where women are respected as equal individuals with their own rights.Mayaa SH plays a crucial role in advocating for reforms in matrimonial law in India by addressing systemic biases, promoting alternative dispute resolution methods, and championing women’s rights within the legal framework. Her contributions aim not only at legislative changes but also at fostering a cultural shift towards greater respect for individual rights within familial contexts.